SUN CITY – Last year, an extensive furnishings and wall coverings makeover of Prairie Lodge began with installation of new carpeting.
This coming spring, the project will be completed with the installation of new furniture, fresh paint, and coverings throughout the 13-year-old facility.
The community association board and staff have been working with KDI Designs Inc., of Geneva, on this project for more than a year. Now, the final phases are being overseen by Executive Director Lauren Lee and the Facility Advisory Committee, consisting of Mike Prena, chairman, and members Dennis O’Leary, Richard Wille, Steve Hendrickson, and Harry Leopold.
“The furnishings have become worn and dinged up a bit and this is the time that was set aside earlier to replace a lot of the interior decorating,” Lee said. “Residents will see a lot of new colors on the walls and furnishings by the end of May.”
The project includes painting walls and replacing the majority of the furniture in Fountain View Center, Fitness Center, the central entry lobby, the social center next to the library, the lower half of the acoustic panels in Drendel Ballroom, and furnishings and wall coverings throughout the gallery corridor from Fountain View Center to Jameson’s.
The project does not include chairs used by audiences in Drendel Hall and in Fountain View Center activities, nor does it include furnishings in game and activity rooms or the library. It also does not include any office areas used by the association staff. Several large pieces of furniture will be retained and other items will be re-upholstered.
According to a furnishings pictorial provided by KDI, most fabric and wood finish colors will be natural and dark cherry, navy blue, scarlet, butterscotch, chestnut brown, and several shades of tan, red, and gold. Several couch and coffee tables will feature Corian tops.
Painting began March 17 and is to be completed in about four weeks. Furnishings will be delivered, and the acoustic panel coverings will be installed in May. Cost of the project is about $225,000, and is funded out of the association’s capital improvement reserves.
Lee announced that the staff will host a silent auction to sell off the old Prairie Lodge furniture, starting on April 14. It will end at 4 p.m., April 25. The items will be available to view on the association website or at the lodge. They will each be assigned a number, and residents can fill out the bid form with the item number, their name, phone number, and address, and the amount of their bid.
A lock box and envelopes will be provided for bids to be submitted. Bids will opened during the first week of May.
